A few weeks ago I got a complimentary copy of Revel in Portland in the mail since Toro Bravo chef-owner John Gorham is featured in it (we’re currently working on the Toro Bravo Cookbook due out from McSweeney’s Oct. 2013) along with nine other creative folks in Portland including illustrator Carson Ellis, filmmaker Lance Bangs, and architect Jeff Kovel. There’s a Q&A with each person in this pocket-sized book filled with beautiful matte art and photos that’s followed by a descriptive list of their favorite Portland places.

It’s a fun, inspiring read that makes me proud to be a Portlander. Although the group hasn’t secured significant distribution yet you can find Revel in Portland at Reading Frenzy, Ampersand, Heart Roasters, Albina Press and you can also purchase it directly via their site.

The Revel team puts it best:

“The Revel In Portland Guidebook is a celebration of the Portlanders who wear their hearts on their sleeves. Artists, chefs, musicians, designers, filmmakers, troublemakers, and our city’s most interesting characters. 10 interviews, pictorials and 72 personal recommendations.”

Food Lover’s Guide to Portland blog is a collection of some of the research, recipes, images and culinary adventures that went into the making of Food Lover’s Guide to Portland. The first edition came out in 2010 and I started the blog in February 2009 as a companion piece to it and to help organize my thoughts while researching and writing it. The second edition came out in September 2014 from Hawthorne Books.